Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Since I only go to see my cancer doc once every two months now, and much of the time I don't see him but his capable young assistant, I asked him some time ago if I was now a "Cancer Patient, Second Class," meaning things were not as urgent now and I seem to be more on a long-term maintenance program.

I got numbers back on my latest blood work today, and the results are good. The M-spike has been hovering at a consistent but unmoving low level like a catfish on a river bottom (see blog entry for 11/17), but this month it moved down again, dropping from 0.6 to 0.4. Total proteins also made a nice drop, and most parameters of the general blood chemistry are showing some slight improvements as well.

I keep on the current medication program, and go back to see the cancer doc again in two months.

I want to thank each of you for your faithful and persistent prayers for me over the past 2+ years. As I told my Sunday School class recently, you don't learn the meaning of perseverance (in prayer) from a dictionary. So often, when we pray for someone and there is no apparent answer, we are inclined to give up on our prayers and say, "God's will be done." But perseverance means praying just as fervently and ardently two years or more later as you did when you first heard the news and brought your petition before God, and I know that such prayers are many of you.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Results from the latest blood work shows that the cancer is still at low levels and holding. Here are a couple of charts that demonstrate what is happening. The top one is total proteins, the parameter that was high and got me into all of this. The red lines indicate normal range for this parameter, the blue lines indicated what has been going on since June 2007. The sharp decrease is when I started taking the Revlimid. You can see that's when it leveled off. The second chart is the all-important M-spike, and you can see the same trend there.

In addition to being better at fighting the cancer, the Revlimid is much less destructive to me than the other chemo therapies have been. Over the past few weeks, I have repeatedly been reminded of how much better condition I am now than I was months or even a year to a year and a half ago. I thank God for that, and thank you for your interest, concern and prayers on my behalf. This isn't over yet, but it is all good.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Forget about Grandma Saturday, this weekend we got a grandparent weekend! We got to keep the local grandgirl from Friday afternoon to Saturday night as her mom went to a church children's ministry retreat, and her dad had to work. She is really walking now, and spent more time getting around by walking than by crawling. Shortly after the video was taken, she enjoyed walking through the lawn, kicking and shuffling through the leaves. Afterwards, Carol washed her up before returning her to her mommy.

Saturday evening, we had a real nice and impromptu visiting time with Matt, Amy, Andrew & Julia.

On the last weekend in October, the 9 elders of Countryside Bible Church took a planning retreat at the Wildcatter Ranch near Graham, Texas. Most of the time was spent in planning sessions, but we also had some times of fellowship with all of the elders and their wives, and also a brief session on the sport shooting range. Here are some pictures (courtesy of another elder) of the scene from the back porch of our cabin, and Carol and another "elder wife", also on the back porch.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

One of the many different things that I get to do in my work is to certify that liners installed for municipal solid waste landfills are constructed in accordance with plans submitted by the landfill to, and approved by, the State of Texas' environmental regulatory authority. The liners are there to assure that liquids that come in contact with the garbage to be deposited in the landfill don't migrate out of the landfill and contaminate the groundwater, and to also protect against methane gas generated by the decomposing garbage from migrating off site and creating explosive conditions.

Doing this certification requires frequent visits during liner construction, the full-time presence during construction of one my my materials testing technicians, direction, and lots of tests of the liner in the field, and on samples brought back to our laboratory.

Here is a picture of a liner built out of 3 feet of compacted clay that we are currently certifying on a landfill a little ways southwest of Fort Worth. This site fascinates me because of its purple clay. It also has a strata of green soil, the likes of which I have only seen once before in my life.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Last week, the cancer doc sampled my bone marrow and I got results back a few days ago. The bone marrow is where the cancer resides with myeloma. The cancer is done to 12% (12% of the plasma cells in my bone marrow are cancerous). Last year at this time, the cancer was 19%, and it was 65% when I was diagnosed 2 years ago. Here is a picture of the bone marrow sample after it was extracted. For a quick update on the overall condition, see 2 blogs down, Oct. 2, 2009.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Daniel and Whitney are running in the Chicago Marathon (yes, Marathon) today.Andrew is sick with the flu. He was too tough of a guy to get his flu shot, but we did have a real nice time chatting on the phone about Tennessee's tromp over Georgia in the football game this weekend, and other things. Fortunately, Julia and Alyssa seem to be okay.Matthew started a job this week working as a computer consultant on a contract basis with Alamo Consultants in Plano, Texas.Emily has moved out of the house and into her own apartment in Arlington with her good friend, Jessica. We all pitched in and helped her to move Friday afternoon and yesterday. Nice place and nice situation for her.

I got a bone marrow sample this week and Carol has had to put up with me and put in a lot of hours at her job, including inspecting food booths at some big shindigs in Burleson on Saturday. Fortunately, she gets to go to a big conference for Environmental Health professionals in Austin for several days this week.

Friday, October 2, 2009

Wednesday, October 9, 2009: I got results back on my blood work yesterday and went to see the cancer doc this morning. The cancer is still at its lowest level since diagnosis 2 years ago, but has leveled off and we haven't had any decreases over the last 3 months. I asked the doctor what I had to do to get the cancer lower. He explained what I would have to do, and I said, "Stable is good."

So for now the plan is to continue the current oral medication, steadily keep chipping away at the cancer, and maybe get a break from the chemotherapy in 6 months to a year. The doctor is very pleased that I am staying active (working and swimming), that I am watching my weight, and that I am not losing muscle mass, and he is very pleased with my overall progress.

While I was there, he also took a bone marrow sample, and I have been "out" all afternoon and early evening. It is the first bone marrow biopsy for me in a year. I should get the results back on that next week.

Thanks for the prayers and concern. In the next day or two, I will try to post a couple of graphs that really tell the tale pretty well on the cancer, and will also share the bone marrow biopsy results when I get them. I will also try to get some cute pics up of grandkids or kids.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Last week, I marked my second year since diagnosis with cancer. For more than a year, I have wanted to write a blog about how that first year with cancer was the greatest year of my life, as God showed me how great He was in caring for me, how much I was loved, what a wonderful wife He had given me, and many other things. Lately I have seen how He sometimes lovingly breaks His servants to ferret out those remaining areas of (ouch!) sin in our lives, and increase our humility and dependence on Him. Maybe someday I will get to write those blogs.

Yesterday, I received results back on blood samples taken last week. My current status is that I am "stable." The cancer level hasn't increased or decreased over the past two months, but is at the lowest level since diagnosis. I am still undergoing chemotherapy, and there is currently no plan to change medication anytime soon. Thanks to all for caring and praying. This is still a long, long way from being over.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Sunday, September 6, 2009

TW3. It's been a quiet week in Lake Whoa, Be Gone. Or maybe quite a week, one of the two. Matthew passed his test for certification as a Cisco Systems Operating Engineer on Wednesday. Ah, Cisco! Way to go Matthew!.

On Friday night and into Saturday morning, Carol had to do a health inspection on a Wal-Mart in her territory, so it could reopen after a fire contained to one part of the store. I went with her since it was late at night and far from home. It was very impressive to see how well-organized the Wal-Mart team was, and how well Carol went about her work. See her blog for more details.

Also, on Friday, I had my 57th birthday, and all of our local kids and their persons of interest came over to help us eat grilled burgers and celebrate. Thanks to all who sent their wishes. Never in my life have I received so many wishes for a Happy Birthday. Thanks, thanks, thanks.

Yesteryday I swam a mile, for the first time in I don't know how long. It felt really good to do it again. It took me an hour, but we'll see if we can whittle some time off that again.

I've had two weeks of feeling pretty good. I will go back to the doctor on Wednesday of this week for another infusion, and let them sample some blood. Maybe by Monday of next week, I'll have some results to know how I'm doing. Thanks for your prayers and concern.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Matt had some friends over today to help clean up our back yard. How badly did the back yard need cleaning? Well, the pause in the action in the photo is because cleaning out the wood pile evicted two possums and an armadillo from their living quarters.The possums got away, but the armadillo was detained for questioning before being released. Thanks for the help, friends!

Here are some of my favorite pictures of little granddaughters from recent weeks. The one of Alyssa in the pool is from when we kept her last Saturday. The one of Ellie was from my mom's funeral (scroll down two blog entries).

Friday, August 7, 2009

On Monday, August 3, 2009, we buried my Mom. There were about 60 people there as her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family and friends rose up to call her blessed. My son preached the message, my sister gave the eulogy, and a minister-cousin officiated, welcoming people, leading the singing, and generally conducting the service. Then her grandchildren were her pall bearers as they carried the casket out of the church and laid her body to rest next to my Dad's, in the cemetery right next to the church. The grave site is nice and peaceful, between woodlands and pasture, and deer often wander through it in the cool of early morning and late afternoon.

She was a good mother. As painful as it was to let her go, it was far more painful to watch her remain in the state she was in for the last years of her life. She is better now than she has ever been in her life.

Friday, July 31, 2009

Many of you are already aware that my mother passed away peacefully under hospice care at 6:00 this morning. Knowing the end was sooner rather than later, local family members got to spend a lot of time with her this final week. My daughter Emily and I spent several hours with her last night, holding her hands and talking to her. My sister Vanita and her husband were there quite late, as well.

This picture is from Sunday afternoon. Vanita spent an incredible amount of time caring for Mom in the final days. This picture shows Vanita feeding her and my grandson holding her hand.

My Mom was a believer in Christ, and is now in a far better place than she has ever been in her life. She had just turned 90 10 days before she died. Scroll down to "older posts" to see her early celebration we had just 3 weeks ago.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Almost home, we stopped to see my mother at her nursing home. Hannah helped my sister Vanita feed my mom her liquid nutrition. Currently unable to speak or see, touch is very important to her, so Hannah and Austin both held her hand.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

En route back to Texas this afternoon, we took a slight detour to visit the campus of my Alma Mater. The University was, of course, thrilled to see me. I snuck back onto campus on a Saturday afternoon in summer.

Today we drove through Kentucky and east Tennessee, and saw some real geology. This afternoon, we swam in a mountain lake. As Bill Cosby has observed, the water in mountain lakes generally comes from melted snow, and it never really gets warm. I am trying to estimate how far I swam, but think one should get double credit for meters swam, if they were done with a passenger on the back.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

I got the results back this morning of my latest blood work and the news was good. In short, the bad numbers are down and the good numbers are up.

The very worst of the bad numbers, the M-Spike, is down to 0.8, the lowest it has ever been measured. Total proteins and other indicators of myeloma in the blood are also significantly down. The best of the good numbers to be up is my red blood count, which is now in normal range.

Some of the nicest news, however, is the fact that quite a few of the things they measure moved into the "normal range" for those parameters this month for the first time. Praise God for that.

What it means is that the cancer, though not gone, has been significantly decreased, my bone marrow is making much healthier blood, and other parts of my body are healthier, too. My doctor was just about ecstatic with the results.

We thank God for all these good results, and thanks to you for your love, caring and prayers.

PS - Don't stop praying or start celebrating just yet. I'm still a ways from being out of the woods.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

In a few days, my mother will be 90 years old. This evening, all of her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchild who live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area had an impromptu get together to celebrate her birthday. Here are a few pictures of the event.

Monday, July 6, 2009

So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom. PS. 90:12

The doctor stonewalls at making a prediction for how long I will survive. Likewise, I dodge at giving an answer to friends and family, in large part because I don't know. Then there are so many variables. I would hate to tell someone that I was going to live for five more years and then still be going strong at seven, and them think I had lied to them, or for some, broken a promise. Likewise if I told them 20 years, and then died from the cancer after three.

From the outset, we have declared our lives are fully in the hands of an omnipotent and loving Heavenly Father, who could heal me of the cancer by whatever means He chooses, could prolong my life for however many years He chooses, or could take me home next week with a bad case of the sniffles. It is all in His hands.

From a human perspective, however, attached is one helpful piece of information that Carol and I obtained from the myeloma conference that we attended two weekends ago. It is a chart that tracks overall survival of myeloma patients by decade, from the time of their diagnosis. Here are some facts or conclusions that can be drawn from the chart:

There has always been a small percentage of myeloma patients, about 10%, who have made it past 10 years beyond diagnosis, and seem to go on indefinitely with this as a chronic condition. These are the outlier data points, but there seem to be quite a few of them. At the conference, one of our speakers was a seemingly healthy man who had been in treatment for 19 years, and a report was given of a person who had been a patient for 31 years. Geraldine Ferraro has been a myeloma patient since 1998, 11 years.

The average survival period for a myeloma patient over the past decade, however, is only about 4.5 years after diagnosis. Again from the human perspective, it reasonable to assume that I would do better than average because that number obviously includes all myeloma patients - those diagnosed in late stages of the disease, those who are elderly, those who die from other causes / complications, etc. I was diagnosed very early in the disease before it had attacked my skeletal frame or any organs of my body, at a relatively young age, and in otherwise excellent health.

That average 4.5 year survival period over the past decade is a vast improvement over the 2.5 years after diagnosis for the preceding decade. This means, among other things, that the treatments are getting better. The longer a patient can survive, the greater his chances of overall survival due to new drugs and therapies being developed.

Conclusion: We don't know. Review the chart and make your own conclusions if you like. I was diagnosed in September 2007, almost two years ago. My plan is to substantially beat the average and hopefully become an outlier data point, but leave it all in God's hands and not waste a single day in the meantime.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

(Updated 7/6/09): This blog needs some pictures of grandchildren. Here are three of my most favorite recent pictures of Alyssa. The first is from when we visited my mother at her nursing home, with Mom asleep in the background. The second is of Alyssa in a little pool in our back yard when we kept her one evening while her parents went out for dinner. Finally, a picture of her helping us on our Saturday shopping expedition for a patio table and chairs. Note she is checking not only the comfort of the chair, but also its price tag. From our various shopping expeditions we have learned that she enjoys Garden Ridge, Lowe's and Home Depot, she is okay with Target, Wal-Mart and grocery stores (if she gets to hold the shoppong list), but doesn't care too much for Big Lots.

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A few weeks ago, I wrote about George, the friendly squirrel who lives in my back yard. I spoke of how George kept me close company while I was potting some summer plants, and how particularly pleased I was with three new pecan trees I had found sprouted in some of the flower pots. I spoke of recognizing George’s likely involvement in the process, and of thinking him, and rewarding him with peanuts.

Ten days ago, I walked into the back yard and saw George with the most guilty look I have ever seen on a squirrel’s face. He took one look at me, turned and bolted, and hid himself from my presence just as surely as Adam did hide himself from the Lord in the Garden. “George, where art thou?” I called, but I received no answer in return.

I looked around the back yard to see what could be wrong, and saw an old dead branch, about 6 or 8 feet long and as big around as my forearm, laying on the ground. It had not been there 2 hours earlier when I mowed the grass. I could imagine George and some of his adolescent squirrel pals jumping up and down on the branch, laughing and having a big time until it broke and they all came crashing down to the ground. “Oh, well,” I thought, “squirrels will be squirrels. No harm done.” Besides, that dead branch had been outside my upstairs office window, and I was glad to see it down without my having to climb and cut.

Then I saw the REAL CRIME. George had uprooted the new little pecan trees to get to the pecan nuts still a part of the root. He knew it was wrong and that is why he looked so guilty. Truly, all creation has fallen and gone corrupt.

George, if you read my blog, please know that I still love you and I forgive you. If you will plant me some more pecans next winter, I will try to grown them again next spring, but I will put them in a squirrel proof cage for their first year to help you resist temptation.

Sunday, June 28, 2009

This weekend, Carol and I attended a conference sponsored by the International Myeloma Foundation here in Dallas. It was very informative as we learned about current treatment methodologies and upcoming drugs, ways of handling side effects of the chemotherapy, and other good stuff.

Leading doctors in this disease nationwide were there, and it was good to listen to them, and chat with them between sessions, as well. Some of these men have been cancer doctors longer than I have been an engineer (that’s a long time), and their names are on testing procedures for evaluation of this disease. There also were very helpful sessions by a cancer nurse, and a myeloma patient.

The top question on every patient’s mind is what are current survival predictions for patients in their situation. One patient there had been in treatment for 19 years, and there was a report of another patient who has been in treatment for 31 years. These are the outlier data points, but praise God for outlier data points. Then I met a man who looks healthier than me, and has been in treatment for only 3 years, but his cancer is not responding to the drugs, and the prognosis is not good. It is all over the field.

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Today is Father’s Day, and I would like to pay tribute to my father, James Vernon Bennett, Jr., now deceased. It’s been a little over two years since Dad died in April 2007. The morning after we buried him, I went out to the woods behind their house to spend some time alone. I found an acceptable stump and sat down. It was cold spring morning in Arkansas, and I shifted my body so that my back caught the fullest effect of the sunlight to keep me warm, and remembered it was something my Dad had taught me to do as we worked outside in the cold together.

A father teaches his son many things. Among the things my Dad taught me by example more than words was the value of hard work and honesty in business dealings, and the importance of a man taking his family to church on a weekly basis.

I took this picture of Dad about a year or two before he died. It was autumn, and I had taken him for a ride in his truck, and we walked out to an overlook over the Little Red River just outside Heber Springs. It is my favorite picture of Dad.

Here’s to you, Dad. I hope all readers have had as wonderful a Father’s Day as I did.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Some of you know my time-wasting dilema of a few weeks ago as I tried to find Lyrics, etc. to a particular song, which was incorrectly titled on an instrumental CD as "Night Train to Memphis." When I found the lyrics, I said, "No way those lyrics can go to that song," and the time-wasting began. Anyway, with only wasting but a small portion of your time, here is a link to the coolest instrumental (piano) version I ever found of Night Train to Memphis (This guy, Alan Dale, has some other neat stuff on You Tube, too).

And here is a really good version of "Night Train", though the version I heard and started this quest was a Bluegrass/Blues version with harmonica, fiddle, bass guitar and drums, and was incorrectly labeled on the CD as "Night Train to Memphis," rather than the boogie woogie version here.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Results on the blood sample taken June 12 indicate that the decreases to the cancer have leveled out and actually increased just slightly over the blood sample taken last month. This month's M-spike is 1.3, still one of my lowest, but a little higher than last month's 1.1. The factors that would indicate a slight increase in the M-spike (and thus, the cancer), like total protiens and globulin (the type of protien where the M-spike is) all showed the same slight increase. This month's total protiens, like last's, remain in the normal range, meaning that if I were checked for a routine physical at this level I wouldn't be sent on for further testing to see if I have cancer.I am hoping that the slight increase is due to the colds I fought and antibiotics I was on the past month. While I have no scientific basis for this hope, I also have no scientific basis against it.In other aspects, my blood is looking much healthier. My red blood count is up almost to normal range, as are the HGB and HCT, which reflect the blood's ability to carry oxygen and iron.Thanks for caring and praying.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

This year I have three new pecan trees and one rescued azalea bush. The pecans trees are thanks to the friendly squirrels (cute rats with bushy tails)inhabiting our back yard. Over the winter, they buried some pecans found elsewhere in the neighborhood into flower pots in my back yard. The pecans sprouted into trees after I planted flowers this spring, and I transplanted them, tree, root, original pecan and all into some new flower pots consecrated solely for that purpose. As would only be appropriate, Squirrel George the x kept me close company during the process, and I rewarded him with peanuts for his trouble in planting the pecans.

The azalea bush was originally a $13 bargain I bought in Arlington last year. It got trampled when we replaced our fence a couple of months ago, and then replaced with an azalea given by friends as a Christmas gift, but not delivered until spring. Anyway, much to the not-too-concealed amusement of close family members, I dug up the root, planted it in a pot and set it in a place where it would receive just the right amount of sunlight, from an azalea’s point of view on sunlight, and let the Creator’s ordained processes of nature take work. This weekend, about two months later, the root sprouted vegetation. As an amateur gardener, I never cease to be amazed at the way life persists when given opportunity to do so.

Here is the photographic proof of the pecan trees and azalea bush. The final picture is one Carol took of the way I arranged flora vegetation, et al, just off our back patio this afternoon. The figurine in the background is not St. Francis. That would not do for a Protestant Evangelical elder. It is St. Augustine, considered to be okay for those with leanings toward Calvinistic/Reformed viewpoints. I put it there hoping he would bless the grass (just kidding!).

Thursday, May 21, 2009

For those who have not yet heard, the results from the last cancer test came back very encouraging. The M-spike is 1.1, much, much lower than at any point since diagnosis, now 20 months and counting Again, this is almost a 50% reduction since last month, or down to 1/3 of what it was two months ago when I began the Revlimid. My oncologist is "thrilled," and Carol is "very excited." I am little excited, and will be very excited if it continues this way another month.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

I saw the back doc yesterday, and he took a look at me and at the MRI pictures from Thursday evening. He declared that I had a nerve getting some pressure from the spine in my neck which was causing pain from the neck through the right arm, and I also have some bursitis in the right shoulder. To fix things, I got an Acme At-Home Do-It-Yourself put your neck in traction kit to relieve some pressure on the nerve (sounds nuts to me, too, but you should hear what they do to you if it gets so bad you have to go to the hospital for treatment), and take some medications for the bursitis. For now it is treat these things at home and keep an eye on them and take other action if things get worse. Frankly, I think a crawling baby is cuter, scroll down one blog entry.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Today was Grandma Saturday. After their grocery shopping expedition, Carol brought Alyssa to the house, and we had some fun time that included crawling camp (I hold the baby by a towel, or in the olde days, a cloth diaper, while it learns to crawl), as shown by the video below.

We are also holding right now so far as medical information on me is concerned. This past Thursday evening I had MRI's done on my neck and shoulder to determine the cause of some serious pain I have been having in the neck, back and right arm for the past 2 months. I'll see my orthopedic surgeon on Monday afternoon to see what he can see. On Friday morning, I had a blood sample taken regarding the cancer, and will see my oncologist on Tuesday morning to learn the results of the new chemotherapy drug I've been taking. We'll keep you posted on what we find out.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

This weekend our next door neighbor expanded the flower bed spanning our two yards. Friday night, they were planting flowers in the new bed, so we went to Lowe’s to get a new garden rake and some more plants, and the four of us had a nice evening planting plants in the new bed. The new bed has begonias, impatiens, sweet potato vines, Mexican heather, geraniums, red hot salvias, some ferns, and more. Here are some pics.